The 10 most popular Google searches in South Africa in 2016

Google has on Wednesday revealed its annual Year in Search – highlighting the top searches in South Africa in 2016.

“Previously called Google Zeitgeist, the Year in Search provides a snapshot of the trends, people, and happenings that captured the nation’s interest during the year,” said Google.

The top trending searches for South Africa for 2016 all featured “a decidedly global feel” notes Google and includes “Pokemon Go”, “Euro 2016”, “Olympic Games Rio 2016” and “Donald Trump”.

Local news appears for the first time at number five on the list with “Election Results”, although that could pertain to both the local or US elections, both of which were held in 2016.

Unsurprisingly, “Jacob Zuma and “Public Protector” topped the top trending South African politicians and prominent figures list while “Mandoza” and “Gugu Zulu”, both of whom passed away this year, topped the top trending South African celebrities lists.

As part of the release, Google also announced the top ten ‘what is’ and ‘how to’ questions for the year with “Pokemon GO” topping the list of both.